Exposition of Ezekiel 6-13, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 9 · Verses 5-7
VERS. 5, 6, 7.
And to the others he ſaid in mine hearing, Goe yee after him through the City, and ſmite: let not your eyes ſpare, neither have yee pittie.
Slay utterly old and young, both maids and little children, and women: but come not neare any upon whom is the marke, and begin at my Sanctuary: then they began at the ancient men which were before the houſe.
And he ſaid unto them, Defile the houſe, and fill the courts with the ſlain, goe yee forth: and they went forth and ſlew in the City.
THE Lord Chriſt having marked ſome for mercy; in theſe verſes is declared, what was to be done with the reſt.
1. Here is a command to execute them.
2. The execution it ſelfe.
In the command you have theſe particulars,
1. The party commanding; he ſaid.
2. The parties commanded; the others.
3. The witneſſe of what was commanded, and that is Ezekiel: In mine eares.
4. The things commanded, which are theſe;
1. To goe; they muſt goe after him mark's the mourners.
2. To ſmite, v. 5. to ſlay, v. 6. to defile, to fill the courts of the Sanctuary with the ſlain, v. 7.
3. A double prohibition.
1. Of mercy to the wicked; Let not the eye ſpare, neither have pitty, v. 6.
2. Of medling with the marked: Come not neare any upon whom the marke is, v. 6.
4. Whom they muſt ſmite, ſlay, old, young, maids, children, women.
5. The place where they muſt begin, and that is the Sanctuary, v. 6.
6. Then the execution it ſelfe, They went forth, &c.
I ſhall open the words wherein any thing ſeems difficult, and then give you the obſervation.
The others.
They were the 6. Angels who had the ſlaughter-weapons in their hands, they muſt now goe and make uſe of them, they were not cal'd for in vaine.
Let not your eyes ſpare.
This phraſe is ſometimes refer'd to things without life, as Gen. 45.20. Regard not the ſtuffe. The Heb. is, let not your eye ſpare your ſtuffe. It's Joſephs ſpeech to his brethren, when he was inviting them to come to Aegypt, and his meaning is this; when you ſhall look upon the furniture of my fathers houſe, and ſee what goodly, rich, and uſefull ſtuffe it is, you will be loth to leave it behind you, your eyes will be affected with it, you will ſay you cannot be without it, though you know not how to bring it; but let not your eyes ſpare it, looke on it as a needleſſe thing, regard it not, Aegypt is before you, and there is enough to ſupply and ſuffice you.
Sometimes its referred to things with life, as men and beaſts, and notes thus much, that there ſhould be no ſigne of mercy in their eyes, not a looke, not a favourable aſpect towards thoſe they were to execute:foreign their eyes muſt be terrible, and not ſpare from vengeance, they muſt ſhew no pitty: and the word in Scripture is ſo rendered, Deut. 13.8. Thine eye ſhall not pitty him, neither ſhalt thou ſpare: That is pittie here is ſpare in my Text, and that is ſpare in my Text, is pitty here. And Deut. 7.16. Thine eye ſhall have no pitty upon them. The Heb. is the ſame word, thou ſhalt not ſpare upon them, ſpare to execute vengeance upon them: ſo that they are uſed promiſcuouſly, & one interprets the other; an eye not ſparing, is to ſhew no mercy, no pitty. That in 1 Sam. 24 10. clears it, when ſome bade David kill Saul when he cut off the skirt of his garment, ſaith he, but mine eye ſpared thee, that is, had pitty on thee, and I kil'd thee not; if mine eye had not ſpared thee, I had killed thee without pitty, without mercy, Jer. 21.7. He ſhall not ſpare them, neither have pitty, nor have mercy, lo jachum velo jachmol velo jerachem, the two firſt words are in my Text, and they are both interpreted by the laſt not to ſpare; not to pittie is to have no mercy, what ever motives be thereunto.
Slay utterly olde and young.
In the Heb. it's the old man, the young man, the maiden and little child, all in the ſingular number, which is put for the plurall.
Q. Here a great queſtion is moveable, how it ſtands with the juſtice of God to give charge for the deſtruction of little children which were innocent?
A. The word foreign for little children, ſome take to be meant of ſuch as could play in the ſtreets, and were under 20. years, Gen. 47.12. Joſeph nouriſhed his Father and his brethren, and all his Fathers houſhold with bread according to their families foreign according to the little ones;Ad os parvuli. they were not ſucking children, but ſuch as could run up and down that Joſeph nouriſhed; now if the little children be taken for ſuch, they might be guilty of great ſins, as the children that mocked the Prophet, and ſo deſerve death.
But take little children for ſuch as have not committed actuall ſinne, even babes, new born, in the womb, of which ſort many periſhed in the flood, and many in Sodome, ſuch God may cut off without impeachment of his juſtice.
1. He hath an abſolute dominion over his creatures, hee is the potter, and we are the clay; if he make the veſſell, hee may break the veſſell, ſhall he not doe with his own as he pleaſe? hee gives life to babes, and he may take it from them when and how he pleaſes.
2. They were defiled with originall ſin, and deſerved death; the wages of ſinne, be it originall or actuall, is death, and it matters not whether a naturall, or a violent death, therefore he forbade Jeremie to take a wife, to have ſonnes and daughters in Jeruſalem, and as for thoſe ſonnes and daughters ſhould be borne there, they and their fathers and mothers ſhould be conſumed by the ſword, and by famine, Jer. 16.2, 3, 4.
3. They are parts of their parents, part of their family, part of their ſubſtance, and God may puniſh the ſinning parent in his child, as well as in his ſtock.
4. Had they lived, it's likely they would have trod in their fathers ſteps, and ſinn'd thoſe great ſinnes they did, like them in Jer. 7.18. Children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough. Neither doth God puniſh upon previſion of future ſinne, but takes them away from preſent and future pollution.
5. God might notwithſtanding this outward temporal judgment have merciemercy on their ſoules, queſtionleſſe many children dye more terrible deaths then by the ſword, and yet periſh not eternally.
Come not neare any upon whom is the marke.
Q. If this marke were not a viſible marke, how ſhould they know them, and ſpare them?
A. The Lord knew who were his, though men knew them not, and it's probable ſuch is the rage of the wicked againſt the godly, that if they had had a little diſtinguiſhing character from others, they would the rather have fallen upon them, and cut them off; but the Lord ordered the judgement ſo, and their ſpirits ſo, that they came not neare them. The mark was inward in the fore-heads of their conſciences, and providence watched and wrought for them without. God might dart a feare into them, diſable them from doing the mark'd ones any hurt, divert them to other families and perſons, and this manner of ſpeech is more then if he had ſaid doe not kill them, they might doe much hurt to them, yet not kill them; but when he ſaith Come not neare them, God doth make a fence about them, and compaſſeth them with this command and his favour in it, as with a ſhield againſt all evill and wrong.
This deliverance of the mark'd ones from the ſlaughter-men, is a type of Gods preſerving his in all great and generall calamities, and eſpecially of freeing his Elect ones from hell and the furies thereof. The Chaldeans muſt not come-neare the mark'd ones to deſtroy them, and Devils muſt not come neare thoſe Chriſt hath ſprinkled with his blood, to ruine and deſtroy them, They are freed from the power of Sathan, and eternall death.
Begin at my Sanctuary.
This was the holy place, the habitation of God, where his worſhip was, where he gave out gracious anſwers unto them, yet here they muſt begin.
Why here,
1. They truſted in the holineſſe of this place, Jer. 7.4.10. When they had ſin'd grievouſly, they thought that if they came and worſhipped there, all was well, they were delivered and cried out, the Temple of the Lord; God would begin with their confidence.
2. They had greatly polluted that holy place: there was the Idoll of Jealouſie, there was the forme of every creeping thing, and abhominable beaſt pourtraied upon the walls, there were men offering incenſe to thoſe Idols, there was the filthy Idoll Tammuz, and women weeping for it; there were men with their backs towards God, the Arke, and worſhipping the Sun Eaſtward; there they put the branch to their noſe, great abhominations were gotten into the Temple, they muſt therefore begin there.
3. The ſins of the Prieſts and Prophets who belonged to the Temple, were exceeding great, they were meſſengers of God to the people, and mouths of the people to God, and above others ſhould have been cleane, holy, gracious, free from the ſins of the times; they ſhould have been exemplary unto others; but if you obſerve the Scripture a little, you ſhall find they were patterns of all impiety to the people, they were ignorant, blinde, dumb, drunken, Iſa. 28.7.56.10.12. Unclean, filthy, ſtrengthening the hands of the wicked, Jer. 23.14. Covetous & cruell, Iſa. 56.11. Micah 3.5. Conceited of their owne abilities, Jer. 8.8. Flatterers, and dealt falſely with the people, Jer. 6.13, 14.27.15. They perverted the word of the Lord, Jer. 23.36. They rejected his word, Jer. 8.9. They prophecyed their own dreames, Jer. 23.7. and put it upon God, ſaying, he ſaith, v. 31. They ruled with rigour, Ezek. 34.4. They reproached, ſlandered, and complain'd of the true Prophets, ſtirring up enemies againſt them, and ſeeking their liberties and lives, Jer. 26.8, 9.11. Amos 7.10. This made Jeremie conclude, Lam. 4.13. that Jeruſalem was deſtroyed, chiefly for the ſins of her Prophets, and the iniquities of her Prieſts, that ſhed the blood of the juſt in the midſt of her.
Obſer. 1.When God is upon executing judgement, he firſt manifeſts, yea, vouchſafes mercy to his friends, before hee lets out wrath upon his enemies. Goe yee after him; one was ſent to marke the mourners, before thoſe with the ſlaughter-weapons had commiſſion to deſtroy the reſt. His mercy acts before his juſtice, he ſeparates the righteous,Mal. 3.17.4.1. before he deſtroys the wicked, he makes up his Jewels before the day comes that burnes like an oven: Hee prepares an Arke for Noah, before hee ſends a flood upon the world; God ſends an Angell to fetch Lot out of Sodome, before he raines fire and brimſtone upon them: And at the laſt great judgement, the Sheep ſhall have mercy, before the Goates ſhall have judgment:Matth. 25.34.41. Come yee bleſſed, that joyfull ſound ſhall be heard firſt, and after depart ye curſed. Mercy is Gods firſt-born, and viſits the Saints ere judgments break out.
2. When the godly are ſecured, then judgement delays not; when the mourners are neer marking, then the ſixe men follow him preſently that marks them, and they doe their office. When Lot is out of Sodome, fire and brimſtone comes into Sodome, God could doe nothing while he was there, Gen. 19.22. But when he was gone, he conſum'd them with the vengeance of eternall fire. Judgments ſometime do linger, and what's the cauſe? ſome ſervants of God are not marked, ſecured, got into their chambers of ſafety; if they were, judgement would quickly be upon the backs of the wicked, Iſa. 26.20, 21. Come my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and ſhut thy doores about thee, hide thy ſelfe as it were for a little moment, untill the indignation be overpaſt. For behold, the Lord commeth out of his place to puniſh the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. When once they were got into ſafe places, then would indignation come upon the wicked. When ſwallows and other birds flie from us, it is a ſigne of Winter approaching: and when good men are removed out of places, are driven into corners, it's a ſigne of of judgement upon that place.
3. Sinners may ſo provoke God, that hee will neither ſhew them mercy himſelfe, nor let others doe it; no pitty, no mercy ſhould they have from God or man. Goe through the City, from one ſtreet to another, from gate to gate, and ſmite, ſmite every one of them, ſlay utterly, doe not wound or weaken, but tahargu lemaſchith, ſlay to perdition: and though they fall upon their knees, begge hard for their lives, promiſe you great matters, yet ſpare them not, neither have pitty, be not affected with ought they ſay, doe, or ſuffer; God harden'd them here againſt them; but might they not find ſome ſparing and pittying from God, if none with man, Ezek. 5.11. Mine eye ſhal not ſpare, neither will I have any pitty, and hee ratifies it with an oath there.
What were their ſinnes which made the LORD deale thus ſeverely with them?
1. Their defilement of the Temple with ſuch abhominations as they had done, provoked deſperately, they deſpighted God thereinto his face; there he vouchſafed his preſence, heard their prayers, accepted their ſacrifices, beſtowed choiſe mercies upon them, and yet to defile that with their abominations, this greatly provoked.
2. Their abuſe of the true and faithfull Prophets, Jeremiah forbid to propheſie left he dye for it, Jer. 11.21. They laid hands on him, and ſaid he ſhould dye, Jer. 26.8. & 2 Chron. 36.16. They mocked the meſſengers of God, deſpiſed his words, and miſuſed his Prophets, untill the wrath of the Lord aroſe againſt his people. Theſe ſins made it riſe to a great height, even ſuch a height, that all pitty and mercy were laid aſide.
3. Their great unfruitfulneſſe under means and mercies, Jer. 20.8, 9. They reproached and derided the word, and thoſe that believed and obeyed it, Iſa. 8.18. You know what paines God took with his Vineyard, he gathered out the ſtones, planted it with the choiſeſt vine, built a tower in it, made a wine-preſſe, did all which was doe able for it, and now he looked for grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes; this kindled Gods wrath, and baniſhed pitty, mercy from his heart, I will take away the hedg, break down the wall, lay it waſt, it ſhall have no digging, pruning, clouds or raine, but it ſhall be troden down, and eaten up, by whom? by Chaldeans, thoſe bryars and thorns ſhould ſcratch and teare it in pieces. Mans unfruitfulneſſe makes God mercileſs, Luke 13.7. when the Lord came to the Fig-tree, planted in his vine-yard, and found no fruit on it, what ſaith he, cut it downe, why cumbers it the ground.
4. Pittileſneſſe to one another, Mic. 3.2, 3. The Princes & Rulers did plucke off the skinne, and fleſh from the bones of the people: they brake their bones, and chopt them in pieces. In their skirts was found the blood of the ſoules of poore innocents, Jer. 2.34. and Manaſſes had filled Jeruſalem with innocent blood, which made the Lord to ſay, Ier. 15.5. Who ſhall have pitty upon thee, O Ieruſalem? neither God nor man
4. Nothing will priviledg ſinners in the day of Gods wrath; when he gives out commiſſion to deſtroy, there will be a generall deſtruction: Old, young, maids, children, and women, they muſt all ſuffer, all dye. In their military oath this was one branch, Ne quis laedat faeminas, pueros, ſenes, aegrotos, even nature pleads ſtrongly for ſuch who are fearfull and feeble, not able to help themſelves, Deut. 20.14. When the Iewes tooke a City, they were to ſpare the women and the little ones, and when they tooke Midian, they ſpared the maids and the little ones, Numb. 31.9.18. But here neither oath nor nature ſhould take place, neither age, ſex, or condition ſhould advantage or ſecure them; not the hoary head of the aged, not the beauty of the virgins, not the teares of the mothers, nor the tenderneſſe of the babes, but all muſt dye: So 1 Sam. 15.3. Samuel ſaith to Saul, goe ſmite Amelech, utterly deſtroy all that they have, and ſpare them not, but ſlay both man and woman, infant and ſuckeling, oxe and ſheepe, camell and aſſe. Amalech ſought the ruine of Iſrael, therefore God would have him utterly ruin'd; when judgements are generall, ſinnes are grievous.
5. Open ſins involve not only themſelves, but thoſe are deareſt to them into open deſtruction. The antients offered Incenſe to Idols, the women wept for Tammuz, others worſhipped the Sun, and theſe brought famine and ſword not only upon themſelves, but upon the young maids and little children which were free from thoſe ſinnes; the parents ſins ruin'd the children, and wrap'd them up in an open and publique calamity. Corah, Dathan, and Abiram rebell againſt Moſes, and the earth ſwallowed up them, their houſes, and all belonged to them, Numb 16.31, 32. The Sodomites ſins cauſed themſelves and their little ones to be roaſted in fire and brimſtone: ſo Princes, their ſinnes bring down vengeance upon themſelves, their poſterity and Subjects. All ſorts ſhould therefore take heed of ſinning againſt divine Majeſty who is ſo dreadfull in his judgements; If they will not pitty themſelves, yet they ſhould pitty thoſe are theirs, and deare to them.
6. The lives and comforts of all Gods marked ones are deare unto him; he gives order that they ſhould not onelyonly not take away their lives, but alſo that they ſhould not indanger their comforts: Come not near any upon whom is the marke, do not fright them with your ſtern looks, bitter words, rough handling, keep your diſtance, they are very deare to me, and I am very tender of them. The mark'd ones are a people neare to God, Pſalm 148.14. and he will not ſuffer them to be wrong'd, Pſal. 105.14, 15. He ſuffered no man to doe them wrong, he reproved Kings for their ſakes, ſaying, touch not mine anointed. Gods anointed ones are his mark'd ones, and they muſt not be touch'd, which is as much as come not neare them. God doth not onelyonly keepe the wicked from harming them, keepe off judgements and blows from them, which is call'd ſparing them, Mal. 3.17. But hee makes them up as his jewels: they lye ſcattered as common ſtones here and there; but God hath his dayes to make them up, to ſet them in ranks and orders, that they may ſhine more gloriouſly, and live more comfortably: Or thus, when a houſe is on fire, the owners will be ſure then to looke after their jewels, and to take, and make them up, above all the reſt: So God, when judgements are upon Cities, Townes, Kingdomes, will have ſpeciall care of his jewels and peculiar treaſure, Luke 17.34, 35. Two men ſhall be in one bed, the one ſhall be taken, &c.
7. See the order of Divine judgement here; thoſe were ring-leaders to others, and drew them to ſin by their place, authority, counſell, example, they muſt firſt be ſlain; Begin at my Sanctuary, there were the 70. Antients of the houſe of Iſrael, mentioned, Chap. 8.11. There were the Prieſts, who had the charge of the holy things, and ſhould not have ſuffered ſuch corruptions, pollutions, to have come neare the Temple; but both the Princes and Prieſts were foremoſt in iniquity; they ſhould have preſerv'd the worſhip of God pure, kept the people from idolatrous practiſes, into which they drew them, and made Iſaiah ſay twice, that their leaders cauſed them to erre, Iſa. 3.12.9.16. there was inforcing vertue in them, conſtraining the people to erre, & run upon their deſtruction, and therefore now ſeeing they were firſt and deepeſt in ſinning, they ſhould be firſt and deepeſt in puniſhment, the ſlaughter-men, repreſenting the Chaldeans, muſt begin there, while they were freſh, ſtrong, they muſt bath their ſwords in the bowels and blood of Princes and Prieſts. Many times its ſo, that thoſe are great firſt in wickedneſſe, are firſt ſmitten, Numb. 25.4. Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord againſt the Sunne. They had been principall actors in whoredome and idolatry, led others to thoſe ſins, and their heads muſt off firſt:Numb. 16. So Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, they were prime Rebels, made ſeditious work amongſt the people, and went not they down firſt alive into the earth? and did not fire from heaven conſume the 250. Princes that offered Incenſe? It's too well known that men eminent in place, are eminent in ſin, be they in the State, or in the Church; and it's juſt they ſhould be eminent in puniſhment.
Our Prelats who were Sanctuary-men, and pretended divine inſtitution for their ſtanding, declared by their fruits that they were not from above, but from beneath: an earthly generation that hath been eminent in Treaſons, Conſpiracies, Rebellions, ſeditious Innovations and corruptions of Religion as ever was; but God hath found them out, powred contempt upon them, plucked them up by the rootes. Strafford and Canterbury were heads of wickedneſſe in the Church and State, and God hath lopped off their heads. Great ones make great breaches for others to periſh in, and God begins with them to ſtop thoſe breaches, and prevent open ruine. The Devill carryed Chriſt to the Temple, and the pinacle of it, and tempted him from thence to caſt himſelfe downe, knowing that the ſins of thoſe belong to the Temple are moſt conſpicuous and beneficious to him and his Kingdome.
8. It's not the holineſſe of any place can mitigate or avert the wrath of God, when thoſe belong to it have defil'd the place with their abhominations. The Temple was the holieſt place in the world, 2 Chron. 36.14. All the chief of the Prieſts and people tranſgreſſed very much, and what was their tranſgreſſion, they polluted the houſe of the Lord which he had hallowed; not which men had hallowed, but which he had hallowed in Jeruſalem: Judgement begins at Gods houſe. Iſa. 10.12.No where elſe had he hallowed any any place, yet that holy place they polluted, and the Lord therefore bids the ſlaughter-men begin there, and defile it; they had defil'd it with ſinne, and now God would have it defil'd with the comming of Heathens into it, with blood, with dead corps, &c. which made Jeremie to ſigh and ſay, The Lord hath caſt off his Altar, he hath abhorred his Sanctuary: he hath given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her pallaces, they have made a noiſe in the houſe of the Lord, as in the day of a ſollemn feaſt, Lam. 2.7. It was muſicke to the enemie to ſlay them in the Temple it ſelfe, to daſh out their braines againſt the Arke and Altar, 2 Chron 36.17. They ſlow their young men with the ſword in the houſe of their Sanctuary, and had no compaſſion on young man or maiden, olde man or him that ſtooped for age. As they regarded not ſexe or condition of men, ſo not the place, though holy. Holy places were wont to be refuges unto thoſe fled to them, even heathens would ſpare thoſe betook themſelves to the Temples of their gods when they tooke the City;Hoſtes qui ceperant civitatem, parcerent eis quos ad deorum ſuorum Templa cenſugiſſe compererant. Auguſt. de civ. dei, l. 1. c. 2. but in this deſtruction of Jeruſalem, thoſe fled to the Temple ſound no favour from God or man: Slay them utterly ſaid God, defile the Temple with their carkaſſes, bloud, dung, and they did it, and fill'd the Temple with ſuch ſacrifices it never had.
9. Divine juſtice oft ſmites ſinners in the place where they have ſin'd; they had defi 'd the Temple with their abhominations, with idolatry, falſe worſhip, hypocriſie & vain confidence in it, and there God commands them to be put to death. God had manifeſted great love, beſtowed great mercies, imparted much light to them, heard their prayers, accepted their ſacrifices in the Temple, and now ſeeing there they ſin'd againſt him, there hee would have shem puniſhed. When Ahab had murthered Naboth, 1 Kings 21. this meſſage was ſent unto him: In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, ſhall dogges licke thy blood, even thine, verſ. 19. and it was made good, Chap. 22.38. 2 K. 9.26.
10. Gods judgments are as extenſive as ſinners ſins, they muſt ſlay not only Sanctuary-ſinners, but City-ſinners; they had ſin'd every where, the Land was full of violence, and now the Land, City, Sanctuary, were full of bloody men, and bloody judgements, and as they had fil'd all with ſinne, ſo they muſt fill all with ſlain ones. When ſins are generall, judgements are anſwerable. Iſa. 8.8. ſpeaking of the King of Aſſyria, it's ſaid, he ſhall paſſe through Judah, he ſhall overflow and goe over, he ſhall reach unto the necke, and the ſtretching out of his wings ſhall fill the breadths of thy land. This is ſpoken of Senacherib, who like a flood over all the land came up to the necke, viz. Jeruſalem; but Nebuchadnezzar came not only up to the neck to Jeruſalem, but into it, and overflowed the head, he drowned all in blood; where there was no mark, there was no mercy to be ſhewed.
11. God after long forbearing, is intenſe upon, and ſpeedy in his judgements, obſerve the phraſes in theſe verſes which ſhew it; Goe ye through the City, ſpare none, ſlay utterly, begin at my Sanctuary, defile the houſe, fill the courts with the ſlain, goe ye forth. Theſe expreſſions ſet out the bent and intenſiveneſſe of Gods ſpirit in this work, he would have his executioners haſten about it, and diſpatch all out of hand.
12. Gods inſtruments do readily obey his commands, of what nature ſoever they be; here they are appointed to harſh & bloody ſervices, to deſtroy utterly all ſorts and conditions of men, women, children, without pitty, and they went forth, and ſlew in the City. God commanded, and they preſently obey'd; not holineſſe of the place, multitude of perſons to be deſtroyed, or danger of miſtaking the mark'd ones did retard them.